The tale of how one worldbuilder suffers from a lack of engineering skills | Worldbuilding & Design

[@TalesofLost]

Hey Guys! Thank you for watching! Let me know what do you think about the concept and the story in the comments! Also: Join our Discord Server! discord.gg/QtbM8HxHr5 Follow me on twitter x.com/TalesofLosts My Patreon patreon.com/TalesofLost

[@GusCraft460]

So if I understand the problem correctly, it’s “how do you build a tower by adding onto the bottom?” correct? So I would suggest using a sort of screw system. Make the blocks such that when assembled into a tower, they have a set of corkscrew grooves on the outside that fit onto rollers. Every time they want to add a new layer, they turn the tower, and it lifts up on the rollers. This would definitely not work in real life, but it would work for longer than those forklift things. It is more believable to the mechanically minded individuals because screws can exert a lot of force.

[@TalesofLost]

Thank you for your comment! Hmmm... This sounds good but in that case let's say they finish the first layer how they supposed to squeeze first stone of the next layer? There should be some balance system to hold tower I guess? If you want you can come to the discord server and we can talk this through :) Lifting machines are kinda related for the next step of their story and that's why I kinda must to have them there even illogicalness of this idea exploded my brain hehe

[@GusCraft460]

@@TalesofLost well, unlike a conventional screw that has one continuous groove, I figured that each block would have a groove on it going from 3/4 of its length on the top to 1/4 of its length on the bottom. This way every single block would have a groove to be supported with.

[@user-lv5rd6kb5o]

@@GusCraft460 Good idea. Another thing you could try is have a four toothed vice made out of the surrounding buildings, and have the faces of the teeth slanted, grooved, and lubricated so that the pinch of two opposite teeth slides the tower upward. It could potentially have teeth numbering any multiple of four or six to maintain its rotational symmetry.

[@Chaotier]

The imagery used in the faith is very well thought out! The celestial themes combined with altered limbs and watchful faces perfectly integrates the story into the visuals. Great work!

[@TalesofLost]

Thank you so much! Well it was a roller coaster ride to pull it out but happy it’s visible 🙏Glad you like it! 🫀

[@davidstrife165]

The endless war between "thats not how this works!" vs "its magic, who cares?" is endless and ongoing Best wishes on your quest

[@TalesofLost]

Ahaha Totally! But best way to put it "I did however I like" I guess :) Thank you for your best wishes 🙏

[@ZarHakkar]

One must know the rules before they deliberately break them.

[@ZarHakkar]

Honestly, this is like an extreme version of an already real phenomenon: the layering of cities. Rome, Seattle, Paris... as time passes, the old works slowly sink into the ground and new works are built atop them.

[@TalesofLost]

Yes! But this time its reverse eheh Thank you so much! Glad you like it 🫀

[@Amelia-mq6hm]

Mmmh wooden levers would snap when forced to lift such huge loads, even with a very long distance from the fulcrum, I fear that for a feat such as this steel would be needed, and not only that but those small hands to lift the masonry wouldn't work either, they would need to be wider and less long, a smarter way would be to dig a trench under the bricks and lift the tower up with thousands of wooden or metal screws, a bit like a screw pump works, maybe that's what another kingdom did

[@TheLadderman]

Yeah, agreed. Steel at a minimum, and even that is being generous for such a mind bogglingly ludicrous amount of weight being lifted. The hands I imagine seems to be cast out of brass or bronze or something, which again ain't gonna cut it. I'm also having some trouble figuring out how the actual act of lifting is performed here. It seems like maybe it has something to do with the movement of the carriage back and forth but I cant figure out how. Looks like theres some counterweights which are supposed to help the lifting, but its not even using any mechanical advantage with the counterweights so they really aren't going to help a whole ton. If anything they might even hinder the whole process by massively increasing the complexity of the mechanism, introducing a bunch more parts that could break, and adding moving parts that add more friction to the system. Also, people pulling a rope is a really inefficent way of inputting human power. Something foot operated like a treadwheel would be much better, and is what we see historically from premodern cranes and such. All that being said, I have no idea in which ways magic is being used for here. Magic could potentially solve some of these problems, but he didn't explain anything about the magic other than these salt sphere drugs altering the bodies of the workforce.

[@TalesofLost]

well I have no option but agree with you because I don't know how these things works mechanically. I tried to look here and there how people did it in old times but even with that you might give me credit with that such a thing as lifting whole city and build a wall under it never happened. I just wanted to keep the main idea of lifting the city part in there as a focus but not solve an Egyptian math to build a pyramid. Also about your feedbacks I want to invite you the discord server or at least could you please DM me there about your approach :) the help much appreciated :)

[@TalesofLost]

I overlooked on some of the aspect of logic here and there for the sake aesthetic here at first also I thought it might be good to have some complex mechanics ( you may see them at the beginning of the video) but then I realize it might change the whole vibe of overall world. I agreed the things you said about the material and stuff I could think through too but as I said in the video some part of this system is beyond my knowledge. Keeping the main idea in the center is a better idea instead of cracking my head on "how can I lift a whole city and build a tower under it" Magic easily solve the issue but in my opinion it's an escaping point. Especially for keeping the main idea of this world as a whole. I mentioned it in the video but let me explained it briefly here too: Those necklaces act as smelling salts with a pinch of magic in it. If you can recall what is smelling salt you might understand it better. That's why using people as a work force was a logical choice there but over time ( in the next video more clearly) those salt pebbles serves better overall. It's up to you whether you like it or not but I rest my case about mechanical logic all over :)

[@craz2580]

No one need engineering when you got ✨magic✨ (Looks at the Pit scratchers from my world for harvesting soul crystals)

[@TalesofLost]

Ahaha true true but I'm trying to avoid it as much a possible to not to create flying magic everywhere setup 🥲

[@8Hshan]

Even with the explanation this sounds more like a fever dream than a realistic fantasy world. Interesting, but I wouldn't say it makes much sense.

[@admiralgarbage6403]

All this talk about engineering and physics but it's not really about literal architecture, is it? To construct the tower is to strive to create something beautiful and challenging for its own sake, but with each layer added another foundation must be built. And so the weight of the tower grows heavier and heavier, slowly crushing the artists, the workers, who had become utterly overtaken by this obsession, altered forever in their pursuit of some wondrous feat that has no clearly defined end. They are literally stacking the odds against themselves in an already impossible mission. In a way, I think this captures the essence, joyous and tragic alike, of worldbuilding itself. Maybe this was not intended, but I think its beautiful and thought provoking. Will they be ultimately destroyed by their obsession as I will likely be and so many before me? Or will they somehow make it through despite it all? I for one am excited to see what happens next!

[@TalesofLost]

Omg! My approach was similar but you words explain it more "elegantly" It was never about mechanisms or reality of building it but how effecting on people's beliefs. The feeling of belong to something or some group makes things happened even it's almost impossible. What happened next I already released please watch it too if you haven't. Really would like to hear your opinion about it 🫀 Thank you so much for your amazing comment and so glad you liked it 🙏 PS: I'll be so happy to see you on the Discord server. Please join if you like to 🫀

[@disgruntledbob2812]

Such an evocative tale behind a wonderfully mythic setting! But with an added layer of human elements behind it, like drugging your work force for grand infrastructure works. And a caste of divine builders obsessively devoted to one goal so much, their bodies changed, is a great origin story. I want to know more about these cities, towers, builders and even the salts. Blûdy well done o7

[@TalesofLost]

Hey! Thank you so much! Glad that video and story reflect the main idea eheh I will explore these things you wondered on the next video for sure 🫀

[@KfrancisArt]

KZbin recommendations hits :) - also love the thought process I also try avoid ignoring logic & add some realism where I can

[@TalesofLost]

Ahah well honestly it was a hard thing to do but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do 🥲

[@athena1491]

this is actually extremely close to how grain silos are built irl

[@TalesofLost]

Really?! Wish i got your comment earlier! 🥲

[@athena1491]

@@TalesofLost yep! they build a ring and raise it, onwards and upwards!

[@TalesofLost]

Thank you! I will check it out asap 🫀

[@Inferryu]

@@TalesofLost Here, have a gander if you haven't, from SmarterEveryDay, kzbin.info/www/bejne/r6ilh2mDbLuCfLc There is, however, a big difference with your proposal, that is of weight when built, silos are empty, and the structure overall is relatively light. Pardon the wall of text; In your case, with each rise, you're not only lifting the city(citadel) at the top but the combined weight of all the layers you have added to that point, nor will you have to increase the capacity of the machinery to lift and increasing weight each time, but the material the stone blocks are made of will eventually be unable to bear the added weight, you will have to start using bigger blocks, and eventually you will have to start using a more durable material until the problem comes back around. Another problem is the soil, it may come to be that the land itself is not solid enough to support the weight of the structure, that's why foundations are so important, they distribute the weight of the upper structure over a wider area or connect it to a more solid layer deeper down. I don't know where you intend on taking the story, but considering your setting, you could work these details into in, you could have the mindless workers at the bottom increase the size and shape of their machinery as they realize the previous models are no longer viable, have them scourge the land around searching for more durable materials, and so on.

[@rhedskiddel2282]

Magic forklift

[@alexnoman1498]

I think the less a machine could be built in my backyard, the more believable it is. This looks tiny and fragile. A dingy little weight pulling the arms up would be overpowered by the tower weight immediately. I love that idea though. The world of Windforge has an almost weightless construction material which makes skytravel possible. If every block were to "float", you would only have to connect and place them, from top or bottom. Good luck and many more good ideas to you!

[@TalesofLost]

Uhm... Thank you? Well as I said main focus was lifting such mass with a illusion of power to people think it's coming from their gods so even your backyard machine work better to make viewers believe this is possible but its not my concern to use *science* in this case. It's just a result of delivering the message of how masses can be manipulated in such a mission which was impossible. Thank you for recommendation and will check it out how things work there 🫀

[@channelnameredacted1215]

Three things, Firstly, really cool art and good video. Secondly, the tower will fall under its own weight. A general rule of thumb is the taller it is the bigger base it needs. With stone you might be able to get a few dozen meters before it crumbles, like cathedrals, but not much more. To have a city that's constantly rising you will need to build a giant hill/pyramid. Thirdly, lifting machines, like most construction tools, use the concept of force multiplication. It's not the full story but for simplicity w=x *(sum of F) where w is work (energy) x is distance and F is force. To lift a 1 kg block 1 m you need to apply a sum of 9.81juels(irl usually you have static friction so the force always needs to be bigger than that threshold). If you increase the mass, like a tower, you need more force, which usually is hard to get, so you make the path longer thus using up less force along it. That’s why pulleys work, and why jacks use driving screws. With low tech you best bet is having a shit ton of lubed pulleys or using driving screws with a fine pitch.

[@TalesofLost]

Thank you for the feedback! Really appreciate when the comments help me to make my world more believable :) If I ever decide to produce this type of video I will use your comment as a tutorial😌

[@xHarpyx]

This is really intriguing. I’ve got to know more about this world.

[@TalesofLost]

Welcome! Stay tuned for more 🤯

[@user-lv5rd6kb5o]

You could try shoving wedges underneath it to different extents to raise it or lower it onto other wedges after adding more material where you've temporarily removed the wedges.

[@TalesofLost]

Hmm not so bad idea 🫀Thanks!

[@GastonGock]

Water has plenty of force to move stone :)

[@TalesofLost]

Oh that's very informative sir! God bless you

[@Stefannice]

Really interesting! :)

[@TalesofLost]

Thanks! Glad you like it!🫀

[@magnuserror9305]

I like the whole building a tower to reach the heavens idea, its a classic. But slowly raising a city or even building a tower by raising it. Is essentially impossible even with our tech today. You'll either need magic, a low gravity world, or sci-fi tech for it to even begin to resemble reality. You have to understand that before they even begin to hope to build upwards, they first have to build a foundation that will hold the weight of the towers total mass. That means they must dig out the entire area needed to do that. On top of that they need to make sure the building only allows for so much sway, even small amounts of movement becomes catastrophic upwards. This means raising the building as you go must be handled extremely slowly. You must also understand that for every action their is an equal and opposite reaction. The forces applied will create so much friction and force that materials will crumble, melt, and snap in the lifting. You would end up with so much internal damage all throughout the structure that it would need mgs sci-fi nano bot level tech to maintain. On top of that they have to deal with the ever growing mass to lift, eventually this becomes impossible to overcome due to materials failing to ever hope to handle the leverage required to do so. You need tech we dont have, materials we dont have in our world, and people smart enough to pull off such a backwards inefficient feat. If we assume the level of tech is a composite of pre 1600 world, and their goal is to build a tower to reach a specific height which would be above that of a large mountain. Their only option is to build a city sized pyramid. Essentially making a mountain, and they wouldn't lift the ground and build under it to raise the total height. Just normal building on top of already put down material.

[@TalesofLost]

Wow it’s the longest and most detailed comment I’ve ever have! If you see the second part of this video you understand that all the logical explanation part is actually leading to something rely on manipulation with belief. Let me know if you watch that one too 🫀Thank you 🙏

[@CanadianCrowDev]

The exact kind of video I always wanted to find! I have my own similar concerns about a certain degree of "magical realism" in my world building; things should *logically* proceed and cascade from those kinds of decisions; if magic exists, what would it mean? Etc.

[@TalesofLost]

Thank you so much! This is my biggest dilemma eheh but it’s world of imagination after all 🫀

[@magnuserror9305]

Most mechanisms are hidden 90% of the time, so you dont need to know how something works behind the scenes. Instead just focus on what people can see. And your not going to get what people can see all that correct anyways. Its best just to rely on the most important rule in fiction, the rule of cool. Tbh magic is a perfectly good reason for something to work. Just dont be lazy about it and its more than good.

[@TalesofLost]

Yea but it’s how my brain works 🙃 I also wonder how things happen in even fictional setups and stuff. Thank you for your comment 🫀

[@magnuserror9305]

@@TalesofLost Its something I have as well, I'm super into physics and wanted my magical world to have most its stuff based on real mathematics and physics. Which ended up actually making me sick and burning me out for a time.

[@akam9919]

So...what do they do for water? is there a pump system integrated into the tower?

[@TalesofLost]

Thank you for the comment! Haven't thought about it in detail, maybe some kind of pumping system as you said, maybe they collect water from the clouds using some peculiar device since they are so high in the sky. Will think about it and maybe it will be an idea for the new video😊

[@adailydrawingmustache4604]

What drawing software do you use?

[@TalesofLost]

Using Procreate :)